In math, we've been practicing time skills. It can be tricky sometimes, when people say, "quarter to three", so we've been taking time to practice this skill using a bingo game. The kids enjoy using games to practice "boring" math skills. :)
We've been having a ton of fun making art and making friends! The students just LOVE to paint! We are getting a few artists ready for the talent show, a month away.
In math, we've been practicing time skills. It can be tricky sometimes, when people say, "quarter to three", so we've been taking time to practice this skill using a bingo game. The kids enjoy using games to practice "boring" math skills. :)
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This week we've been discussing what bills look like when they come in the mail. It's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between bills and junk. I brought a mix of different pieces of mail for them to see. They were surprised to see all the different kinds of mail, and that was just for one day.
This week's weather really threw a wrench in the mix. We had big plans to go to the stock show, but because it was SOOO terribly cold, many of the students didn't get to go. Bummer dude! But a few of us went over today. There was lots of cool stuff to see.
In math, we've been discussing tax season. Many of the students had questions about the government, and income tax, and tax returns. We have had good discussions about how and what to do. So I've got our talent show planned. Make sure to mark your calendars for March 28th at 11:30. It will be in the Auditorium (Old Theater) and a potluck before. The students are already deep into researching what they will be presenting. Look forward to some awesome acts!
For more of the day-to-day stuff, we have been studying what is budgeting and how to make good money choices. You need to pay for the things you NEED before you buy the things you WANT. This kids have gotten very good at it. We have also discussed all the myriad reasons you can be fired in a real job. The students don't usually believe me when I tell them, in SD, you can be fired for no reason at all. We had a bubble catastrophe! This is what happens when you add too much soap with too much water. :) But it's also really fun! Yesterday, we had three ladies from Black Hills Works come and get a tour of our coffee shop. They wanted to see the set up and how it's run, to maybe do something similar in there facility. We are trying to find some more fun math card games to play. We have several but they're getting old. I see some online research in our future! http://www.kotatv.com/story/24406572/central-high-school-special-education-students-run-in-house-coffee-shop
We were so excited to be on the news again! Logan was getting a bunch of questions and comments about being on the news. He said he felt like a movie star! We started a new semester this week. It's always a challenge to learn a new schedule and get used to new teachers. Most of our students do a great job. In math class, we are learning more about debit/credit cards. The students are trying to get into the habit of entering the purchase in their checkbooks. We are also paying bills, using a cash register, playing online functional math games, and practicing calendar skills. The students know the routine. If you haven't had a chance to look at our "iPad" page, I've posted all of the apps we use daily to give everyone an idea of what we're using. An anchor, Katy Urban from KOTAtv came today to do a story on our coffee shop! She shot some footage of the crew working and interview several students and myself. The students were very nervous to be in front of the big camera and microphone, but they gave great answers! I can't wait to see how it turns out! Katy said it might air on Thursday during the 5:30 news. We'll also make sure to add a link to our Media Page so you won't miss out!
I'm pretty sure the kids were NOT in agreement with me, but I was ready to come back from Xmas break!
Our coffee shop was a bit off kilter this morning, as our supplies (milk) are perishable. So we sent Ms. Burton to go grab some to keep us afloat. In math, we have been working on making large purchases, so we've been researching how much it would cost one person to fly and spend a week at Disneyworld. It's a LOT more than we estimated. Along with this, we've been talking more about using debit cards and how to keep track of our purchases. We got a couple bits of very good news. I will be presenting about our coffee shop at the Special Education Conference this spring. The other news, we're gonna be on TV again! KOTA is coming to shoot some footage on Monday about our wonderful coffee shop! We are so blessed. Our annual Xmas party was a success! I had to serve for Jury Duty this morning, so I missed it. But I heard from several reliable sources that everyone had a blast. The baristas were working overtime to make all the coffees for the customers plus hot chocolates for party-goers. The only bad thing was that we had so much fun, we forgot to take pictures! Bummer dude! Oh well, it's the memories that matter anyways. The kids had fun seeing their old friends, and maybe made a few new ones.
Tomorrow is the last day before Xmas Break. After that, we have a new semester to look forward to. An update I'd like to share, we were told that SD Public Radio is going to re-air our story from last school year. They are going to run it on Dec. 23. We are so blessed! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! Christmas spirit is flowing this week! We have special dress up days throughout the week; today is Ugly Sweater day. I'm interested to see what people dress up like on Friday; Winter sport/Xmas Character day.
Thursday is our annual Xmas Extravaganza! We have visitors from Stevens and the Adult Transition Program coming to party with us, so it's a guaranteed good time! I'll post pics. I'd like to point out a new page on our website; iPad apps. It's under the Bookkeeping tab. I've jotted down all the essential apps we use in our class everyday, so check 'em out! If you'd like to know about anything in particular, contact me. |
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -Helen Keller AuthorKatlyn Utzman is a Special Educator at Rapid City Central High School, South Dakota. Archives
April 2015
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